SVP, Group Client Service

Deliver Excellence. Elevate Talent. Scale with Intelligence.

At MERGE, we’re building the agency of the future—where creativity meets technology, and strategy drives measurable outcomes. We're looking for an experienced and dynamic SVP of Client Services to lead internal teams in support of client engagements and position teams to effectively introduce new solutions to changing market conditions. You will act as a senior solution-oriented leader who thrives on developing lasting relationships between the client and agency teams. Utilizing deep industry knowledge and experience, you inspire team members to make our strategy, campaigns, and experiences more innovative, smarter, and effective. This position involves consistent consulting and operates at a high level in all aspects of account management. You'll work closely with the Lead Technology Leader, Lead Program Management Leader, and Lead Creative Leader to create a seamless and integrated approach to client success. This position requires a focus on consumer brand experience, with B2C, B2B, with retail and technology brand experience a significant plus.

What You'll Do

• Oversight and Profitable Growth: Accountable for organic growth (as measured by agency revenue and contribution margin) in your respective vertical. You'll partner with account leadership to effectively structure and lead the team for profitable growth.
• Strategic Vision & Execution: Create a clear vision and annual strategy for growth, presented to and approved by the Executive Leadership Team. You will collaborate with our Managing Director to translate that strategy into actionable tactics, executed over the course of the year. You'll drive the strategic vision across the team.
• Client Partnership & Excellence: Build strong client partnerships, including the delivery of high-quality work, strong business-driving results, service excellence, and proactive ideation. You'll be a trusted partner to marketing peers, aligned with a VP, Chief role in marketing, digital and technology (CMO, CDO, CTO)
• Key Account Management: Oversight and responsibility for key projects, development and execution of yearly account plans, creating clear accountability measures that ensure client and agency success.
• Team Leadership & Development: Manage a successful, integrated team through high-level strategic engagement, delivering real results for our clients while meeting/exceeding agency revenue goals. You will have direct oversight and management of a client service team with the skill and business acumen to attract, retain, and help clients thrive. You will also manage and grow a team as a mentor and trusted advisor to account teams, including goal setting, performance management, and career growth.
• Business Building & Market Expertise: Be a core strategist, a business builder, and a market and client expert. You will manage multiple lines of business.
• Industry & Agency Leadership: Cultivate relationships with other industry leaders and leverage relationships to share best practices and learning within the agency, generate partnerships, and identify leads. You will promote MERGE through networking events and lead generation, proactively pursuing opportunities for industry visibility and bringing in revenue-building opportunities. You will also oversee and influence colleagues across all agency service offerings to ensure the experience and expertise needed are deployed in pursuit of breakthrough, creative solutions and equally exceptional marketing, CX, and business results on behalf of our clients.
• Operational Acumen: Be informed and personally involved, ensuring sound planning, good service, and a solid client/agency relationship. You will follow and implement agency policies and procedures across your teams.
• Financial Stewardship: Oversee team and activities through job completion, serving as point person for necessary escalations. You'll forecast revenue growth and margin with an eye to opportunities for increased profitability, and oversee the financial health of the relationships to hit forecasting numbers.
• Strategic Advisory & Client Growth: Serve as a strategic advisor and navigate significant and unique issues. You'll serve as the trusted voice of the customer by assimilating customer and marketplace insights into the development of strategies and marketing programs to help clients anticipate changes in their category and the market at large and make forward-looking adjustments to their marketing strategy, from communications to customer experience to supporting technology. Act as a trusted client advisor who consults with them on strategy, ideas, trends, and thought leadership. Create and extend relationships with senior clients to facilitate the overall needs of the client and agency. Grow and diversify client relationships by identifying additional business needs along the omnichannel journey..
• Innovation & Modernization: Leverage experience to craft strategic and creative solutions, with a strong emphasis on digitally-driven programs, helping to modernize customer experiences and keep pace with the shifting expectations of the consumer.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Incorporate senior staff from other departments appropriately, setting them up to capitalize on new opportunities and collaborate effectively.
• Continuous Learning: Maintain working knowledge of MERGE solutions and resources and recognize/act upon opportunities. Attend industry events, meetings, conferences, and training as appropriate.
• Organic Growth: Drive organic growth initiatives and opportunities, financial and otherwise on a defined client or client portfolio, while delivering real results for our clients and meeting/exceeding agency revenue goals.

Who You Are

• An Entrepreneurial Growth Driver: You possess a strong entrepreneurial mindset, thriving in dynamic, high-growth environments (similar to startups or challenger brands) and demonstrate a readiness to scale impact. You’re skilled at building, iterating, and driving initiatives forward with ambition and agility.
• An Enterprise Operator: You know what “good” looks like at scale. You’ve operated $15-20M+ portfolios, understand enterprise dynamics, and bring a pragmatic lens to every execution challenge.
• A Team-First Executive: You believe in the power of people and systems. You build teams that run well without you, and you enable leaders to lead, not just execute. You value casting the right talent to solve client challenges. You address key staffing issues with a group leader.
• A Change Agent: You know how to evolve legacy models, shift mindsets, and lead through ambiguity. You’ve turned siloed functions into cross-functional engines of growth.

What You'll Bring

• 15+ years of related experience in a agency or consultancy environment and 9 years of client management experience.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent work experience.
• Deep vertical industry expertise with Consumer retail and technology brands.
• Category expertise and multi-channel experience including media required.
• Multi-channel, integrated campaign & teams and large revenue responsibilities required ($15M+).
• Ability and willingness to own aggressive growth and profitability targets.
• Ability and desire to establish strong, positive relationships at the C-level within client organizations.
• Ability to evaluate contemporary marketing and customer experience programs across categories and consumer segments.
• Willingness to roll up your sleeves to be a constant leader in a highly collaborative environment and to develop and execute business-building strategies.
• Superior client management and relationship skills, especially as it relates to expanding business with existing clients.
• Emphasis on building relationships across departments, from marketing to technology to product and sales.
• Ability to lead a pitch required.
• Superior professional communication and presentation skills.
• Commitment to the client, attention to detail, and strong problem-solving ability.
• Expert understanding of client management principles, relationship development and organization, business acumen, and delegation skills.
• Excellent knowledge of agency capabilities/service offerings, ability to identify opportunities for growth based on client goals.
• Understanding of the client's business at the highest level in order to be a champion, and help bring forth solutions for the client.
• Ability to function in and successfully manage a demanding and stressful environment.
• Experience using past experiences to deliver the difficult message(s) that do not impact client satisfaction.
• Ability to manage conflict and customer concerns that cause significant dissatisfaction and frustration.
• Ability to diffuse an unreceptive and potentially argumentative situation, while maintaining professionalism and arriving at a positive outcome for both the customer and the company.
• Expert negotiator, whether for contracts or conflict or anything in between.

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At MERGE, we’re committed to fostering an environment where our team members can thrive in both their careers and personal lives, ensuring they feel supported and empowered to succeed.

MERGE believes in transparency and equity. In accordance with state regulations, we’re proud to include salary ranges in our job postings to ensure fair compensation practices.

The salary range for this role is $147,000 - 177,500 based on the individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, location, and other relevant factors. The salary pay range is subject to change and may be modified at any time.

MERGE is proud to invest in benefits that include meaningful Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 401K, Lifestyle Spending Account, Employer Paid Life & Disability Insurance, Flexible Time off & Holidays plus many other benefits and rewards.

Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.